Second convoy planned at Whitstable

[CJStone]

RESIDENTS fighting the planned closure of the Whitstable Royal Mail delivery office will take part in a second protest convoy this Saturday.
At least 22 vehicles are expected to travel from Whitstable to Canterbury's delivery office in Military Road. The convoy is an attempt to demonstrate the impact on the district's roads if people in Whitstable are forced to travel to the city to pick up their mail when the proposed closure of the Cromwell Road office takes place.
​
22 vehicles are expected to travel from Whitstable to Canterbury's delivery office in protest over planned closure of the Whitstable Royal Mail delivery office
The convoy will be the second staged by protestors. The first was on February 5.
Community campaigner Julie Wassmer said: "Royal Mail expects this journey to be made up to four times a day by postal staff. We will see what happens, just once, when 22 vehicles hit Saturday traffic in Canterbury."

Anyone wishing to join the convoy should meet in the Gorrell Tank car park at 1pm. Ms Wassmer says that, if possible, cars should be conspicuously decorated with red ribbon or tape to show they are part of the convoy.
"But if people want to support us simply by waving us on our way, they will be very welcome to do so," she added.
A delegation of Whitstable postal workers have also been to the AGM of the Kent Invicta branch of the CWU (Communication Workers Union) to meet Bob Gibson, the assistant Secretary of the Union, who has been overseeing negotiations at Acas over the dispute.

Mr Gibson said he would be looking carefully at alternative plans to the closure. Members at the AGM voted to support members employed at the Whitstable Delivery Office in the dispute with Royal and to request a strike action ballot of the entire Royal Mail membership of the branch should there be any attempts to move the service, or staff, to Canterbury.
Union member and postman Chris Stone said: 'This was a fantastic, and very important, result for Whitstable. It shows that the branch as a whole are willing to take action in support of our campaign and that they reject the Royal Mail's bullying tactics in trying to force a move without our consent."
A mass opt-out of accepting door-to-door mail is also to be undertaken by residents.
Ms Wassmer said: "I can confirm that if Royal Mail continues with its plans, people in Whitstable are now prepared to show effective opposition by staging a mass 'opt out' of the receipt of any door-to-door mail"
She said the delivery of door to door mail represents an important source of revenue for Royal Mail and that any mass 'opt out' would be accompanied by a letter to the Direct Marketing Association to explain why the protest has gone ahead.
She added: "'I will make it very clear to the association that the opt out would be staged as a reaction to Royal Mail's intransigence on the delivery office move issue and for the contempt which the company has shown, both to its customers in Whitstable, and to our local politicians."'


Read more: http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Second-conv ... z2KlFLGQXX
Follow us: @thisiskent on Twitter